Troubled father kills son > Many see tragedy on I-95 in Bangor

BYLN:Renee Ordway and Ned Porter Of the NEWS Staff DATE:08/10/90 LENG:18 EXTR:

A 5-year-old boy who was kidnapped by gunpoint Thursday from the Department of Human Services in Bangor died after he was shot to death by his father who then turned the gun on himself. TEXT:KEYWORD-HIT.

A 5-year-old boy who was kidnapped by gunpoint Thursday from the Department of Human Services in Bangor died after he was shot to death by his father who then turned the gun on himself.

George Lizotte, 49, of Medway was in critical condition Thursday evening at Eastern Maine Medical Center suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. The incident was a tragic end to a bitter, drawn-out custody battle between Lizotte and the boy’s mother, Zelma Lizotte of Medway.

The boy, Victor Lizotte, was in state custody at the time of his death, according to a family member, Jean Lizotte of Millinocket.

According to police, George Lizotte entered the DHS building at 1:15 p.m., displayed a gun and demanded that employees let him take his son.

A description of Lizotte’s vehicle was broadcast over the police radio and Sgt. David Melochick spotted him just minutes after the incident had occurred. Melochick followed Lizotte northbound on Interstate 95 and was waiting for backup before attempting to stop the vehicle.

Lizotte’s vehicle suddenly came to a stop in the middle of the travel lane about one mile north of the Hogan Road exit. Additional police units arrived at the scene and police made several attempts to make contact with Lizotte but received no response.

“The operator was moving. He just appeared to be ignoring us. We presumed he was alive and dangerous. We never detected movement from the boy,” according to Deputy Chief Joseph Ferland.

State police units and deputies from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department were called to the scene and the northbound lane of I-95 was blocked at the Hogan Road exit.

Lizotte’s light blue 1979 Toyota was surrounded by cruisers and the department’s hostage negotiator Roy McKinney attempted to talk Lizotte out of the vehicle. The department’s chaplain, Pastor Bob Carlson, was called to the scene and also attempted to negotiate with Lizotte.

Police set up about 30 yards away from the vehicle and used the nearby woods for protection as they tried to assess the situation. For more then an hour officers bent low to the ground and ran in and out of the woods using binoculars and a spotter scope to try to get a close look at the inside of Lizotte’s car.

Finally, using the spotter scope, the officers determined that Lizotte was bleeding from the head and decided to approach the car.

The air was filled with an eerie silence as two Bangor officers lay flat on the ground with guns drawn and aimed at the car. The officers worked their way slowly to the vehicle until they were able to determine that Lizotte was seriously injured and posed no threat. The child was dead.

The silence was broken by a sudden flurry of commotion and police began screaming for an ambulance. Lizotte was whisked away in seconds and medical examiner Dr. Edward David was called to the scene.

The child’s body was sent to Augusta for an autopsy, but Lt. Brian Cox of the Bangor Police Department said it appeared the boy died of a gunshot wound.

Cox said no one heard a gunshot and speculated that the shots were fired before police got close to the car.

The interstate remained closed while the body was removed from the car and the car was hauled away by a wrecker. The interstate reopened at about 4:30 p.m.

The entire incident took its toll on the police officers and officials at the scene. Carlson was on hand to help get the officers through the immediate frustration that was felt when it was discovered that the child was dead.

Many of the officers involved have children of their own and could not conceal their emotions.

Carlson remained at the police station Thursday afternoon to talk with the officers, and members of the Lizotte family. He said that further counseling would be available for the officers through the Critical Stress Management Team in Bangor.

“It’s tough,” he said, “and that’s what these services are here for. I believe they have already scheduled a meeting with the team.”